I chose this drawing of families going to church.

I know attendance is falling off at all places of worship.

Is there an equal number of our fellow citizens losing their faith in GOD?

Why?

I think the problems of today’s society call for more faith not less.

We, as Americans, have been bestowed with many blessings.

And we must give thanks for them.

If not today, when?

I guess most of us are impacted by events.

And that’s to be expected.

So, I guess the question is, can we decide to be happy when we arise every morning?

I guess that depends on our decision to shake off past regrets and future worries?

The regrets are always there, but we must learn from them and don’t repeat them.

Worrying about the future is something else entirely.

After 83 years of living, I can tell you future worries almost never happen as we envision.

That’s because we can’t predict the future.

So, I’m suggesting that we stop worrying about the future and substitute those worriies with happy, grateful thoughts!

If not today, when?

(Stock Photo)

For 60 years we’ve looked at each other across the breakfast table.

My loved one is older than when we first met and so am I.

The greatest miracle is that she has chosen to stay with me all these mornings!

Like most men, I MARRIED UP!

It’s not that I’m a bad guy, but she has taught me a lot over the years.

Her two outstanding qualities are COURAGE & COMPASSION.

When she appears for breakfast, the room seems brighter.

Another two qualities are PATIENCE & FORGIVENESS.

She lives in today, not yesterday nor tomorrow.

AND she puts all she’s got into today!

The Panama Canal is in danger.

And that danger is low water levels.

At its worst point last December, only 22 ships were allowed to pass.

The usual daily count is 36 to 38 ships per day.

More than 160 ships are lying at anchor at each end of the canal waiting to pass through.

The canal also faces frequent periods of El Nino when rain decreases.

A river named Rio Indio could be a source of water.

But, if it is dammed up, 2,000 poor people would lose their homes.

For some reason, we celebrate the baby and not the mom.

The mom does all the work!

She goes through nine months of discomfort and adjustments.

When it’s time for delivery, she endures pain so the baby can be born.

I think the moms should be celebrated on each child’s birthday.

To prove my point, one of our grandsons WAS BORN ASLEEP!

What does that tell you?

Well, the big day has finally arrived!

As your child goes off to college for the first time, you are an Empty Nester.

You have two questions on your mind: How will my kid deal with living away from home? How will we (I) live without kids at home?

It’s a big adjustment for parent and child.

If you’re still married, the two of you are together again.

But, you’re 20 years older.

You’ve just come through the tumultuous teenage years and hopefully survived.

Now, how are you both going to live through the quieter years?

Do you have interests in common?

The single parent has probably also been the bread winner.

College tuition has gone through the roof, so the bread winner may have another mountain to climb.

Hopefully, your college student can obtain a student loan.

Single parents also have to adjust to quiet times.

(Yosemite National Park)

 It may not feel like it yet, but things are about to cool off.

That goes for travel prices as well as sky-high temperatures.

“This time of year is really the best time of year to go pretty much anywhere,” says Hayley Berg, lead economist at travel platform Hopper.

Crowds thin out, prices in some destinations come down from peak season rates and airfare drops significantly as fall arrives.

“Airfare drops so considerably from summer to September and October that you can take one of those big, longer, expensive vacations for about 30% less across the board. (CNN)

We’ve been going south in November.

All accommodations and restaurants are wide open.

Did you know that many ambulance services are staffed by unpaid volunteers?

One of those volunteers is our granddaughter.

While attending college, she worked her way up to become an EMT.

As an EMT (Emergency medical techician), she can provide some medical services.

She has delivered a baby.

After further training and testing, she became an Agent-in-Charge.

When they are called to an accident scene, she is in charge.

She has also treated a gunshot victim.

Thank GOD for the volunteers who are ready to save their fellow citizens!

Yes, I’m A Notre Dame Football fan.

My dad was a professor at the school for 21 years.

He taught Biology and Bacteriology.

He was a volunteer fireman on the school’s fire department.

I sold programs at every home game.

I delivered newspapers to Knute Rockne’s house.

Needless to say, I had a fun childhood growing up in the shadow of Notre Dame.

GO IRISH!

(Hand written sign, “Tourists go home”)

Protests in the streets. Graffiti warning tourists to go home. Local populations dwindling as short-term rentals mushroom and price residents out.

It feels like this was the year that tourism turned nasty – and local communities started pushing back.

Venice has started charging daytrippers an entry fee, while one busy Swiss town has announced it wants to follow suit. Locals have staged protests in Mallorca and Barcelona.

And US national parks are full to bursting – with 13 million more visits in 2023 than in 2022, according to NPS numbers.

In peak season, visitors must book ahead to enter.

Increased enthusiasm doesn’t seem to correlate with increased respect for the landscape.

The risk, as professor and environmental specialist Emily Wakild wrote for CNN in 2023, is of “loving a place to death.” (CNN)

AMEN!